How laid back can you be before you crumble? How many times will you "let it slide"? Don’t stand up for yourself, nobody expects you to. Just watch as your life is determined at the hands of others.
I say, kick that attitude in the rear! Empower yourself instead of empowering the very thing you dread.
Why wait and let your emotions collect like air in a balloon? You WILL burst, and when you do, you will have already forgotten how easy it would have been to correct all your problems by simply being more assertive.
assertive |əˈsərtiv|adjective: having or showing a confident and forceful personality.
Confident. Forceful. These words demand respect, as does an assertive person. On the contrary, a person without these qualities will unfortunately be used, mistreated and taken for granted. A passive person never will achieve their full potential, nor will they be respected by many Western thinkers in today’s society.
In no way am I saying that a passive person is "bad" or shouldn’t be given respect, for I strongly believe that their opinions matter, and more importantly their happiness and personal welfare. But when a person does not express what will make him/her happy, and leaves others (even those with the best intentions) to interpret what they need, mistakes will be made.
These mistakes vary in degree. Some will seem trivial at first, but as a relationship between the passive person and the "interpreter" grows, there will be an increasing amount of tension built between them. This WILL cause future problems in any type of relationship, and hinders the passive individual beyond their comprehension.
So (sarcastically), why would anyone want to deal with an issue promptly? How very silly!
Keep in mind, this writing style might offend some people, but it is not written in an assertive manner. This is AGGRESSIVE! Aggressive behavior is very different than assertive behavior. For instance, assertive people get what they want/need in a logical and peaceful way. They stand up for their right, and are quick to realize and act upon the wrongdoings of others. Judgement is used in heated debates on how to react, but assertive people rarely walk away feeling ashamed or mistreated.
An aggressive person may encompass some of these traits, but is also abrasive and forceful. This makes for a person that is more fun to read on, or watch about on TV than actually meet in person. Vulgarity and unnecessary volume levels are common traits of an aggressive person, and often times these people will hide (even from themselves) the shame they truly feel after acting out.
Any balanced man or woman should be able to honestly "check off" assertive from their list. And to anybody reading this, whether they are passive, aggressive, or assertive, the first step to improvement is accepting who you are in the present, not what you have done or where you are going.
So good luck, love life, and respect each other in the short time we are given by being heard, speaking within decent decimal levels, and settling for nothing less than what you are worth.
Carpe diem